Sunday, October 7, 2012

How to Begin Smashing/Art Journaling

What is smashing?

I think of Smashing as half journaling and half scrapbooking. It's really the way people used to scrapbook many years ago. Although Smash Books are a brand, you can buy any journal or even make your own Smashbook. You don't have to stick to the brand! (Although they really are a great way to start).

Smashing is meant to be a quick way to
remember things such as vacations, creative ideas, random thoughts, and recipes
with a little bit of art along the way. And the best part is… MESSY is encouraged!There is no need to measure, place things
symmetrically, or even match colors.Just stick, write a thought, and move on to the next thing!

Remember…
there is no wrong way to preserve your thoughts and memories… so hurry up and
go SMASH something!

The down and dirty on your “Smash” Supplies

These are some Smash type products you will see out in the stores and may want to incorporate into your stash:

SMASH Book
w/Pen

This
book is all ready to go, no alternation necessary unless you want to!The pen that comes with the book is part pen
and part glue stick!So you can Smash
anywhere, anytime. Remember you can save the plastic cover so you can preserve
the outside of your book when you carry it around or can put it back on when
you the book is all Smash-ed up.

Adhesive:

I’ve
included some additional adhesives to think about for things your glue pen isn’t
suited for.There are glue sticks, glue
dots, and pop dots (makes things pop of the page a little bit).

Book Band:

This
is meant to help you keep your book together so your stuff doesn’t fall out
once you start stuffing it full of your keepsakes.

Washi Tape/Paper Tape:

To
hold down any of your ephemera to add a cool design element.

Pockets and Envelopes:

To
glue inside of your book on pages of your choice when you need to stick in some
more stuff than what fits onto your pages.

Paper Clips:

To
help clip your stuff to pages or pockets

.

Patterned
Paper:

To
help you to create some more stuff if you are so inclined.

Journaling
Cards & Tags:

To
add emphasis to your journaling notes and give some texture to your pages.

Embellishments:

Things
like flowers, brads, buttons, etc. to add some color.

Photo
Corners:

To
frame your pictures, journaling notes, etc.

Texture
Elements:

Things
like metal mesh, cork board, and transparencies to add some artistic flair and
texture.

Ribbon and
String:

To
add color and texture to your pages and tags.

Stickies:

To
tag your stuff and write little notes.

Divider
Tabs:

To
divide your book into sections or to use as tabs on photos and journaling
cards, etc.

Smash-able Things

You
can smash anything! But here are a few things I have been smashing lately:

Post cards

Photographs

Magazine pictures

Recipe clippings

Drink coasters

Newspaper
clippings

Brochures

Airline tickets

Theater tickets

Lists

Logos

Business cards

Greeting cards

Fabric/paint
swatches

Maps

Leaves

Menus

Labels

Journaling Ideas

Not a diary type person?No worries… you can write a lot, or a little,
or nothing at all… here are a few things to help you get started:

Rate things you
have tried such as restaurants, adult beverages, recipes, sewing patterns,
makeup etc.For example, was a recipe 1
or 5 stars?Note things that you would
change next time, etc.

Jot down song
lyrics, quotes, random thoughts

Journal current
projects or ideas about prospective ones

Journal the
happenings of your vacation as they happen to make sure you don’t miss anything

Jot down wish
list. Such as thing you want to do or things you want to buy

Jot down
decorating ideas such as paint colors, furniture, fabric

Journal around pictures
and in blank spaces

Include dates and
times

Include addresses

Don’t
forget to collect the ephemera listed above to go with your journaling!

Crafty Ideas

Your book can be as “clean” or “dirty” as you
want. If you aren’t feeling super crafty or don’t have a lot of time, that is
okay!Smash books are meant to be easier
than scrapbooking or keeping a diary. It’s not supposed to be “work”.But, here are some ideas to help get you
started:

Recycle! Use the
paper bags, drink coasters, tissue paper, napkins, match books, product
packaging you get from stores and restaurants.Lots of times they have logos you can cut out and use.

Use
newspapers.They make cool backgrounds
and have the dates and cities printed right on them.

Paint a portion
of your page (or all of it) to add a background and a little depth (be sure to
put something directly under the page to keep it from getting on your other
pages and let it dry before you close your book!)

Edge one or all
of your journaling tags or smash book pages with ink or paint

Layer, layer,
layer!The more your layer, the cooler
it gets

Glue in envelopes
to keep your keepsakes secure

Use a photo
printer at home to make different size pictures (such as wallet sized) and
pictures with special effects (such as B&W)

To make your book
interactive, tape along one side of a picture so that it lifts up, and then put
something underneath. Add tabs to your ephemera so that you can pull them out
of pockets and lift of pages, etc.

Have more
thoughts that what fits on a two page spread? Tape along one side of your
ephemera to make more pages.

Fold things. You
can fold things anyway you like (bi-fold, accordion, etc) to make sure it fits.

Make tabs out of
ribbon (I suggest stapling these. Regular glue may come undone if the ribbon is
pulled on)

Make pockets with
patterned or construction paper.

To make titles to
your pages cut out magazine headers or individual letters to spell out exactly
what you want.You can also use alphabet
stickers from your local craft store.

Use rubber stamps
to decorate your pages, tags, and journaling cards

Cut around
photographs and pictures, etc. so that not everything in your book has a
straight line

Doodle and sketch
your ideas into your book

Use glitter glue
and rhinestones to add color and bling

Use patterned
paper to add a background to your ephemera.A little paper goes a long way. Cut it into strips, scallops,
geometrical shapes and mix it with ribbon.

Use a
stapler.Staples come in all colors. You
can staple stuff to your pages, tags and journaling cards

Use angles.You can stick things left, right, upside
down, diagonal.

Let things stick
out a little from your book. It doesn’t have to fit perfectly. It’s okay if
things stick out.

You don’t always
have to fill up the page. Sometimes one photo is all you need. You don’t always
have to feel like you have to “guild the lily.” Sometimes basic is better. (Although
going all out can be fun too!)

Now I am
Addicted!

By now you may be addicted and feel the need
to hoard… so here are some purchasing tips:

Smash Book is a
brand by K&Company and can be found at your local craft store and online.There is a line of books and coordinating
products to buy. However, you can make your own or buy any journal from anywhere to make it your "Smash Book"

Beware! A LITTLE
goes a LONG WAY! Don’t feel the needs to go out and buy a lot of stuff.You will most likely just use a little here
and there. If you are a crafty person, look at your craft stuff. You’d be
surprised what you can use.

There are a lot
of products in craft stores (like Michael’s and Joann’s) that will work, so
don’t feel married to the Smash brand.

There are
journaling products available at Target in the journaling and scrapbook
section.

Scour the $1 bins
at stores. You can find a lot of neat things to put in your pages without
spending a lot of money. Also some ladies find things at Tuesday Morning, Big Lots, the Dollar Tree, Marshall's, TJ Maxx, and Walmart.

Trade with other
crafters. Let's face it we all buy way too much that we will EVER use! Lots of online
groups such as Facebook's "Smashaholics" do swaps, etc. Lots of
scrapbook stores and community centers, etc have craft groups. Find a group
that works for you either locally or online. You can even become a pen
pal! You will have more to Smash with and you can make
friends all over the world!

Look up “smash
book” on Google Images or Pinterest for examples.Don’t be scared off by the really artsy ones
you may find!

Plan on making
your smash book more like a scrapbook instead of an idea book and can’t print
photos at home? Snapfish, Shutterfly,
Costco, CVS, and Walgreens have competitive pricing.You can order online through many of these services and pick up pictures at your
local store. Also, Picasa by Google has a great photo editing software that is very
easy to use.

Things to REMEMBER!

You don't have to be perfect with everything.

You can be messy and random.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to SMASH.

There is no wrong way to preserve your memories!

Thanks for stopping by and I truly hope this helps you get started and that you enjoy smashing as much as I do!